Page 38 of Dr. Bell

Me:How does that sound?

Adir:It sounds like my wife has me wrapped around her finger.

In the middle of the restaurant, I giggled hard as hell. The boys just looked at me and shook their heads. Clearing my throat, I placed my phone down and focused my attention back on them. This wasn’t just about me and Adir. This was about all of us. We were a family now.

So, as we ate pizza, I tiptoed into topics I felt were safe. Adir briefly shared the boys’ past with me, but I was sensitive to not jar any of those memories. So, we talked about sports which quickly turned into video games, then girls.

“Pops is strict about us having girlfriends,” Kalm said.

“With good reason.” Bragg shook his head. “I’m not ready for a girlfriend. It’s too many girls I like.” He hunched his shoulders like that was all that needed to be said.

My mouth dropped while Humble, Quilo, and Peace died laughing.

“Bragg…” I had to join the laughter. “I appreciate your honesty and maturity,” I told him.

“Pops ain’t goin’ for anything else,” Kalm stated.

Hearing them talk about Adir in such a way made my heart swell with pride.Thiswas the man I married. The love they each had for him was evident; so was the respect.

“Yeah,” Bragg added, then pointedly glanced at Quilo.

“What?” Quilo’s face mirrored Bragg’s.

“One day you’ll understand why we don’t play about Pops,” Humble answered.

Quilo turned his nose up, then ultimately replied, “He’s aight.”

My heart warmed just as another text came through from Adir. I almost ignored it but decided a quick glance wouldn’t hurt. It was a picture of me and the boys enjoying lunch. I glanced at Russ, who sat at the front of the restaurant keeping watch over us. Today, Russ wasn’t alone. Tuck, one of Adir’s other security men, sat a few tables behind us.

Adir:I’m getting this picture framed. We’ve been waiting for you forever, Pretty.

Inside my chest, my heart constricted. Adir and I were freshly into this situation. Yet with every word, every kiss, and every look from him, I was falling deeper. This was no longer starting to feel like happenstance. Things were starting to feel divinely orchestrated. Either that, or I was losing my mind.

Thepastfewdayswere nothing short of hectic. After getting my office all prettied up, I was tossed into the deep end of all things Dr. Bell & Associates. My first trauma happened just two days ago. A gang-related shooting happened in broad daylight. Adir’s staff moved like a well-oiled machine to save thelife of a gang member’s brother. He was an unintended target and in the wrong place at the wrong time. Watching Adir save that young man’s life was nothing short of tear-jerking. Adir outside of the operating room versus the Adir standing over a bloodied, battered body were two different people.

A part of me fell slap in love with him that day.

He commanded his staff in such a way that they obeyed without the slightest hesitancy. Reverence showed in the way they acknowledged him and didn’t for a second doubt that he couldn’t save the young man. Adir wasn’t an immortal being. However, observing him in surgeon mode really made me respect him more than I cared to admit.

Just half an hour after saving the young man’s life, he was inside my office with his large body leaned up against my desk. I sat in my chair with my legs crossed, admiring the amusement behind his eyes.

“You’re lookin’ at me like you want something from me, Mrs. Bell.”

Smirking, I didn’t even try and hide it. “Maybe I do.”

His eyes smoldered intensely as he peered down at me. Whatever was going through his mind caused the front of his scrub pants to tint with his arousal.

My door opened, breaking the moment.

“Excuse me, love birds,” Bianca sang. Adir didn’t take his eyes off me as I chuckled.

It had been two days since that connection inside my office. Since then, Adir and I had some unspoken, yet heavy, vibes between us. From day one his aura was strong. Now, it was so intense that I wasn’t going to be able to withstand it for much longer.

“‘Sup, baby?”

Adir’s voice slightly jolted me. Realizing that I’d been staring into his eyes, I glanced around to gather myself. This morning,I’d woken up early to prepare us breakfast before going into the office. Just the two of us sat on the balcony waiting for the sun to rise.

“You lookin’ at me like you have something to get off ya chest,” he drawled. His back was to the sky and, as the sun rose, the glow that came over his moisturized dark skin made him seem like an angel. He was dressed in his scrubs, freshly lined up, and smelling so good that the tree limbs even extended our way to catch a whiff of him.

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